Old Westbury, N.Y. ( May 5, 2009)-New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) celebrates its 48th annual commencement on Sunday, May 17, 2009. Before an audience of more than 10,000, NYIT President Edward Guiliano will address the Class of 2009 and confer associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as professional diplomas and certificates, to 4,450 graduates, who represent all 50 U.S. states and nearly 100 countries, from NYIT's Manhattan, Long Island, global, and online campuses. The NYIT Choir will open the program with its rendition of the National Anthem. NYIT senior Mark Flynn has been chosen to be the student speaker.

The main ceremony, which will be webcast at www.nyit.edu, is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., rain or shine, at NYIT's Old Westbury, N.Y., campus. Individual school ceremonies (Architecture and Design; Arts and Sciences; Education; Engineering and Computing Sciences; Health Professions, Behavioral and Life Sciences; and Management) will take place at 11:30 a.m. on May 17, while the hooding ceremony for NYIT's College of Osteopathic Medicine will take place on Monday, May 18, 2009 at 10 a.m. at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, Greenvale, N.Y.

Media admission to NYIT's commencement is available exclusively by press pass, which can be obtained at mediarelations@nyit.edu. Additional information can be found at www.nyit.edu/commencement and photos will be available online after the main ceremony.

World renowned architect Richard Meier received his training at Cornell University and established his own office in New York City in 1963. Since that time, his international practice has encompassed major civic commissions such as courthouses and city halls in the United States and Europe; museums, corporate headquarters and housing and private residences all over the world.

Mr. Meier has received the highest honors in the field including the Pritzker Prize for Architecture, the Gold Medal from both the American Institute of Architects and the Royal Institute of British Architects, as well as the Praemium Imperiale from the Japan Art Association. In 2009 he was awarded the President's Medal from the Architectural League of New York. Among his most well-known projects are the acclaimed Getty Center in Los Angeles; the High Museum in Atlanta; the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art; the Frankfurt Museum for Decorative Arts; Canal+ Television Headquarters in Paris; the City Hall and Central Library in The Hague; the Jubilee Church in Rome, Italy. Recent work includes the City Hall in San Jose, The Cornell University Life Sciences and Technology Building, the Museum of the Ara Pacis in Rome, the Perry Street and Charles Street Apartments in New York City, the Arp Museum in Rolandseck Germany and the Burda Collection Museum in Baden-Baden, Germany. Current projects include the Italcementi ITC Lab in Bergamo, Italy, the St. Denis office complex in Paris, Rothschild Tower in Tel Aviv, and the SoMa Newark Master Plan.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the American Academy in Rome, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters from which he received the Gold Medal for Architecture in 2008.

About NYIT
NYIT is the college of choice for more than 15,000 students enrolled in more than 100 specialized courses of study leading to undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in academic areas such as architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions, behavioral, and life sciences; management; and osteopathic medicine. As a private, nonprofit, independent institution of higher learning, NYIT embraces an educational philosophy of career-oriented professional education for all qualified students and supports applications-oriented research to benefit the greater global community. Students attend classes at NYIT's campuses in Manhattan and Long Island, as well as online and in a number of programs throughout the world. Upon the occasion of this year's commencement, more than 81,000 alumni have earned degrees at NYIT. For more information, visit www.nyit.edu.